Cars 3: Living on Your Own Terms

Cars 3 is the latest Disney Pixar film that kids will love but that tells a story meant for adults to find their own way. As Lightnight McQueen (Owen Wilson) finds a new sponsor, Rust-eze Racing Center magnate Sterling (Nathan Fillion), and a new nemesis, racing upstart Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer). But he may have lost his mojo in a new way – he might be too old to race anymore.

While the usual suspects (Larry the Cable Guy, Bonnie Hunt, etc.) all show up here to inspire Lightning on his road to success, his new ‘wing-woman’ is Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), a racing technician with aspirations of her own. As Sterling’s program puts Lightning through the paces of figuring out how to improve himself and end up ready to battle a significantly more modern race car, Lightning and Cruz find themselves realizing that there’s much more they can accomplish together.

In Disney’s Blu-ray combo pack, there’s plenty to like here in watching the film at home and on the go. It has lots of extras, like “Let’s. Get. Crazy.” which highlights Miss Fritter (Lea DeLaria) and her Demolition crew in Thunder Hollow’s Crazy 8. There’s also a behind-the-scenes look at how real racing impacted the film through “Ready for the Race,” while “Cruz Ramirez: The Yellow Car That Could” shows how the second-best character in Cars 3 was created and “Generations: The Story of Cars 3” shows how the brand was expanded with even more characters.

There are enough laughs and startlingly real animated scenes to keep everyone plugged in, but the story is really about Lightning wanting to change the season of his life on his own terms and coming to grip with things he can’t control. It’s bittersweet and hopeful all at the same time, a reminder that we’re called to mentor and disciple those who follow us, that we can’t always stay the same. We’re mortal, just like Lightning, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still grow.